


Back in Cali

by giraffewrites



Series: For The Time You Chose [3]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Billy Hargrove Redemption, Fix-It, Hurt/Comfort, Introducing Robin! Yay!, M/M, Other, Post-Season/Series 02, Pre-Season/Series 03, Redemption, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:49:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22231330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giraffewrites/pseuds/giraffewrites
Summary: “Can we get ice cream?” She asks as she fastens her seatbelt. “Scoops will be open.”“Scoops?” Billy turns the key, “The one in the mall?”“Yeah. They do the best flavours.”Billy can’t see the harm in it. “Sure.”Billy's trying to be the best brother he can be, and Robin and Max might be playing cupid.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove & Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington, Pre Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Series: For The Time You Chose [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1414048
Comments: 20
Kudos: 143





	Back in Cali

**Author's Note:**

> This is late and truth be told I wasn't going to continue this series, but I got a comment on the last part and realised people are still interested in this. Plus, fuck the duffer brothers. This is to spite them and give Billy what he deserves; redemption and good relationships.

This isn’t how Billy used to spend his Friday nights. Driving around a small town, one of which stinks of cow shit at that, is far from ideal. Back in California he’d be spoilt for choice, often choosing whichever one benefited him the most. But he’s not in California anymore.

Max has her feet up on the dashboard as usual, face turned to the window. She’s barely spoken since they got in the car, the most she’s done quietly humming to the radio as her fingers tap against her knee.

She’s the reason they’re out.

After a bath, Billy had been drying his hair only to catch the end of Max’s phone call with Lucas. What had been giggling and hushed whispers when Billy went for his bath, had turned into shouting and the phone being slammed back onto its holder. He’d found Max sat at the end of the bed, stuffy nosed and frantically wiping her eyes when she caught sight of Billy. Billy told her to be ready to go out, leaving before she had a chance to respond.

The sun is getting lower with each turn Billy takes. It’s the longer way into town, taken purely because he remembers how much Max had enjoyed it when they moved to Hawkins. Given the slump of her shoulders, however, he doesn’t think it’s doing anything for her.

Straightening his back out and turning his neck until it clicks, Billy glances over at her. “You wanna talk about it?”

There’s a brief silence before she answers, “Nothing to talk about.”

“We both know that’s bullshit,” Billy points out. “But all right, we won’t talk about it.”

The rest of the journey into town is the same; little to no conversation, with songs Billy doesn’t care for playing on the radio. The streets are bare and businesses that used to thrive on Friday nights are already closing. A pang of worry drops in Billy’s stomach when he realises the trip here might’ve been for nothing, but a sigh of relief leaves his lips when he sees the place is still open. Turning around he sees Max is a few steps behind him, hands deep in her pockets, scuffing the front of her shoes by kicking rocks on the pavement.

“Hurry up,” Billy tells her, opening the door, “we haven’t got all night.” He waits for her to catch up, ushering her inside.

Before the incident with the makeup, Max and Billy would go bowling with Susan every Wednesday and Saturday night whilst Neil was working. It was only a handful of times they’d gone but Billy can remember it well. The obnoxious music, having to help Max pick up the bowling balls, pinching their noses at the smell of rental shoes. It was short lived, but for that small period of time, it was their favourite times of the week.

Like everything else, the bowling alley here is different to the one in California. It’s smaller and instead of being run by a company, it’s run by a family. The interior is on the humble side of things, a red and white decor throughout the place with wooden floors and uncomfortable looking plastic benches.

“A bowling alley?” Max asks with her arms over her chest. “Why?”

Billy shrugs, digging his wallet out of his pocket. “Fancied a game,” he replies nonchalantly. “Besides, you’ve never beaten me before. Thought I’d keep up the streak.”

“I have so beaten you before,” Max insists, walking over to the desk with Billy.

“That’s where you’re wrong. I’m the best at bowling.”

The shadow of a smirk dances across Max’s face. “You’re on.”

They get a lane at the end of the alley, near the men’s toilets and a staircase leading to the drinks bar. The shoes are tight against the sides of Billy’s feet but he makes no complaints as Max stands up for her turn.  
  
“Try and hit at least one.”

She turns around to stick her middle finger up at him.

The first game goes quickly, with Billy beating Max by a mere six points. He gets them both a Coke and a bowl of fries to split before the next game, sitting the plastic bowl in the chair between them.

“Have you seen Steve lately?”

Billy looks up at the question, biting half the fry off. “No, not really. Why’d you ask?”

“He said he was going to the pool the other day, thought he might’ve caught your shift.”

“Not mine. Heather didn’t mention anything, either.”

“Why would she? Do you have people watching Steve for you?”

The question is playful, yet still causes anxiety to bubble in the pit of Billy’s stomach. By the worry starting on Max’s face, he thinks he might be wearing it too. “Like what? A spy?” He tries to play it off with. “I don’t need to know everyone’s business, Maxine.”

For once she doesn’t correct him. She scoffs a couple of fries and stands up, grease wiped on her shorts. “I’m going to beat you this time,” she tells Billy.

Billy rolls his eyes, secretly glad for the subject to be changed so quickly. “I’d like to see you try.”

For a while it’s hard to tell who’s going to win. Max performs much better but every time she manages to take the lead, Billy gets a strike. It’s now his last turn and as long as he gets more than seven pins, he wins.

He takes the short run up to the line, stopping to swing his hand back before sending the bowling ball down the alley. He watches as it rolls down, eyes widening with the realisation of what’s happening. The ball rolls into the gutter. He barely hits two pins.

“I told you I could beat you!” Max cries happily from her seat.

“You fixed it somehow.”

“I’ve been with you this whole time,” Max points out, grinning at her victory. “You’re just a sore loser.”

“Yeah whatever,” Billy tries to pretend to be moody, but smiles at Max. “Come on, two games is enough for tonight.”

Outside is darker than earlier, but not dark enough that they need the assistance of street lamps. The odd couple walk the streets, arms linked together as they stroll along. It’s a quick walk to the car with little conversation, but Billy’s glad to see the smile has remained on Max’s face.

“Can we get ice cream?” She asks as she fastens herself in. “Scoops will be open.”

“Scoops?” Billy turns the key, “The one in the mall?”

“Yeah. They do the best flavours.”

Billy can’t see the harm in it. “Sure.”

The girl behind the counter (Robin, Max calls her) has less enthusiasm in her than Billy has for the women who sit at the poolside all day during his shifts. She dishes their orders into two glasses (Max’s being the biggest) and takes the money from Billy. As she’s handing him his change she seems to realise something, saying, “Wait, you’re Billy?”

“Yeah?”

She smirks. “Steve will be back from his break soon,” she replies and drops the change into his hand.

Billy pockets his change and swallows thickly. “Good for him.”

Max digs into her ice cream the moment Billy sets the glass down, ignoring the cherry and opting to go for the vanilla. “Why didn’t you get more?”

“More of a savoury guy,” Billy replies. “Pretzels are much better than ice cream.”

“Are you crazy? Pretzels taste like cardboard.”

“You’re too young to have a good sense of what’s good and what’s not.”

“No, I’m pretty sure I’m right,” Max says, nodding her head. “Besides, you like olives, I can’t trust your opinion.”

“Like I said,” Billy points the spoon at her, “too young to know what’s good.”

The two of them are silent for a few minutes, Billy taking his time with his single scoop of strawberry, Max abandoning the vanilla scoop for raspberry. Billy’s about to make a comment on Max’s choice of flavours when familiar voices are head.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“Are you out of yours? It’s one of the best movies of its genre!”

“Yeah, if that’s the only one you’ve seen.”

Turning his head, Billy sees Lucas walking in with Mike, the two of them arguing over something Billy’s sure he doesn’t care about. As they get closer to the counter they clock him and Max, the two of them stopping in their tracks.

“Uh, Max, hey,” Lucas says nervously, “I was going to call you.”

“Why? So we can have a repeat of early?” Max asks, holding her spoon at the top of the handle.

“No! No, just-” Lucas looks to Mike for help, only to get a shrug, “I just-”

“Sit down,” Billy intervenes. Ignoring all three of their wide eyes, he stands up. “You’re stuttering like an idiot. Sit down.” He turns to Max, who looks an equal amount of annoyed and shocked. “Max I’ll be outside by the car,” is the last thing he says before walking out, ignoring Robin when she calls out to tell Steve to hurry up if he runs into him.

The breeze outside is welcomed by Billy. It’s warm and gentle but has enough force to lift the ends of his hair as he walks round the side of the building. Pulling a cigarette out, he spots someone sat next to the dumpster with a lit cigarette of their own. A few steps on and he realises it’s Steve.

“Hey,” Steve smiles before Billy has the chance to turn around. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

_Don’t act like an idiot_. “I’ve had work,” Billy explains. “Long hours, you know how it is.”

“Yeah, don’t remind me,” Steve laughs, taking a drag of his cigarette. “Have you finished the book?”

“What book?”

“The poetry one,” Steve reminds him. “The one from the library, you know, the one we picked out together.”

Billy knows his cheeks shouldn’t be reddening at that. “Oh, right yeah. Yeah I finished it. Took it back last week.”

“Any good?”

“Pretty good,” Billy admits. “What about Dustin? Was it the right book?”

“It was.” Steve puts his cigarette out by grinding it into the wall. “He’s gone to summer camp now. He’ll be away for a few weeks.”

“Summer camp? Sounds awful.”

“Not my thing either. I barely scraped by in high school.”

“Is it a summer school thing?”

“No no, it’s some science shit,” Steve says with a wave of his hand. “To hell if I understand it.”

Billy pulls on the end of the cigarette as Steve sits on a cardboard box.

“Out of date stock,” he explains, knocking the side of it. “Not ours, our boss would have our heads.”

“Never fancied working in the food industry.” Billy slowly sets himself down on the box next to Steve, glad when it doesn’t collapse beneath him. “Never understood the appeal.”

“Oh there’s no appeal,” Steve assures him, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m only here because of my dad.”

“Your dad? Is he the owner?”

“No, he’s a business man but not for Scoops.” Steve fiddles with the hem of his shorts. “Didn’t get into any colleges,” his voice gets quieter, “so to make up for that I’ve got to work at Scoops. Earn a living and all that shit.”

Billy purses his lips together. His senior year’s coming up and if he doesn’t get into a college he has no idea how he’ll ever get out of Hawkins. This isn’t about him, though. “Could be worse.”

“How so?”

“You could be working in fast food. The grease would ruin your hair.”

Steve gives a small laugh. “I suppose your right,” he nods. “Besides, I got you for another year,” he pats Billy on the shoulder and stands up, “things won’t be boring.”

Billy’s relieved it’s too dark for Steve to see the blush on his cheeks. “Yeah totally,” he tries his best to be casual about it, “right here.”

Steve smiles. “I should get back in before Robin comes out looking for me. See you around?”

Billy’s sure he imagining the hope in Steve’s voice. He tips his cigarette to him, “See you around.” He waits for Steve to turn the corner before letting out a breath.

For a while Billy’s been sure that Steve isn’t... like the guys back in California. But now he’s not so sure, and he has no idea what to do.

**Author's Note:**

> I was stuck with the title but realised that in this fic Billy's comparing his life in Hawkins to his one back in Cali, so the title seemed fitting.
> 
> Find me on Twitter and Tumblr, both @giraffewrites!


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